For ages mothers have been feeding their babies argan oil to ease the digestive system and using it as a cure for many illnesses. Containing twice the level of essential vitamin E as compared to olive oil it is considered a strong antioxidant. Antioxidants play a vital role in fighting free radicals that are the root cause of cell aging and various kinds of cancers. The oil offers a quite high level of omega 6 and 9 fatty acids, that aid in brain functioning. A spoon full of argan oil daily can lower the cholesterol level.
Herbal medical practitioners have been using unroasted argan oil to cure skin diseases and prescribe it as the best cosmetic oil for both hair and skin. Wonderful for healing burns, the oil is also used against rheumatism.
This essential oil is extracted from the kernels of the popular Aragan tree. Endemic to entire Morocco the herb is valued for its great nutritive value, therapeutic and cosmetic properties. Famous amidst Moroccans as a cosmetic oil, its tree has withstood droughts and other harsh environmental conditions prevailing in Southwest of Morocco. This plant that once covered entire North Africa is under human threat and so under strict protection of UNESCO. Argan trees tend to grow in the wilderness in mild arid soil and its deep extended root system offers optimum protection from constant soil erosion.
Approximately 1 liter of this essential oil is extracted from 30 kg of its fruits in around 15 long dedicated hours. This lengthy extraction method calls for great expertise and skilled labor that has been passed over centuries. The fruit ripens completely by late summers and falls on to the ground, from where they are carefully collected. Argan fruits are then laid out on open land and dried. For oil extraction the seeds are removed from its hard inner shell by using an ancient artisanal process involving stones.